Viewpoint: MMA’s Latest Villain

UFC on Fox 5 provided viewers with a smorgasbord of MMA
goodness on Saturday, with plenty of fodder for water cooler and
forum discussion in the coming days.

There was the all-around brilliance of Benson
Henderson, who generated as much buzz for his alleged toothpick
wizardry as he did for his stifling dominance of Nate Diaz.
There was the continued progression of promising light heavyweight
contender Alexander
Gustafsson, who dismissed former 205-pound champion Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua in the co-main event and proclaimed himself to be
the division’s No. 1 contender shortly thereafter. There was the
proliferation of 10-8 rounds, raising further questions as to what
truly constitutes overwhelming dominance. Finally, there was a
little bit of promotional gamesmanship, as
Bellator Fighting Championships had the audacity to buy a
commercial spot for its upcoming season on Spike TV during the Fox
broadcast.

Through it all, Rory
MacDonald remained the compelling figure of the evening.

Somewhere along the line, between the awkward “Road to the Octagon”
segments, the unnerving sound bites and the dissect-and-taunt act
against a faded legend, MacDonald became the most unlikeable
character in the UFC on Fox 5 ensemble.

Before you unload on me for making a mountain out of a molehill,
remember that unlikeable is a relative term. By most accounts,
MacDonald is a quiet, unassuming kid who dropped everything to
train at the
Tristar Gym in Montreal and is now making the most of a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He does not have a criminal record.
He is not a dirty fighter. He seems to want to do things the right
way. For all I know, MacDonald could be the most decorated human
being this side of Tim Tebow.

Yet, behind my unbiased-member-of-the-media facade, I found it
exceedingly easy to root against MacDonald, even against an
opponent as polarizing as B.J. Penn.
Clearly I was not alone in this endeavor, as it appeared that the
majority of those in attendance at Seattle’s Key Arena shared my
sentiments. The dislike for MacDonald was about more than mere
national pride; remember, Tristar Gym teammate and fellow Canadian
Georges St.
Pierre is among the most popular fighters and biggest
pay-per-view draws in the sport today.

It was not just a groundswell of support for Penn, either. The
Hawaiian is undoubtedly one of the sport’s all-time greats, but he
can be plenty abrasive when he wants to be. No, this was more about
MacDonald than it was about anyone -- or anything -- else.

File
Photo: Sherdog.com

Condit taught “Ares” a lesson.

The 23-year-old dresses like a Bond villain, sounds like Hannibal
Lecter’s apprentice and fights like the heir apparent to St.
Pierre’s welterweight throne. He does not ooze charisma and charm,
quite the opposite in fact, but his affinity for the Octagon means
he is going to be around for quite some time, like it or not.

“I’d like people to think that I’m a good person, that I’m pretty
easy to talk to,” MacDonald said during an interview on the UFC on
Fox 5 “Road to the Octagon” show. “I’m quiet, obviously, until I
get comfortable with people, but that’s just who I am. I think it’d
just be nice if people accepted who people were, you know?”

Stardom does not really work that way. The average fan cannot
relate to the fact that MacDonald and his good pal, “The Ultimate
Fighter 16” finalist Mike Ricci,
almost threw down over a pair of red pants. They do not understand
why the precocious Canadian chose to taunt Penn when a finish
appeared within reach. As the jeers rained down on him in the
aftermath of his one-sided decision against “The Prodigy,”
MacDonald did little to sway the popular opinion when he insisted
on taking the microphone from UFC analyst Joe Rogan.

“There’s a guy that humiliated me a couple years ago and I want my
revenge,” MacDonald said, as if recalling a high school bully from
years gone by. “Carlos
Condit -- I want a rematch. Accept my challenge. Let’s do it in
March. I’m going to get my revenge.”

Cue the ominous music, some maniacal laughter from MacDonald and
then fade to black. That is how the Hollywood version would go,
anyway.

Two-and-a-half years ago, a 20-year-old MacDonald came within seven
seconds of defeating Condit at UFC 115 in Vancouver, British
Columbia, Canada. Likely ahead two rounds to none on the judges’
scorecards, MacDonald had no answer for Condit’s furious final
ground-and-pound salvo that forced a stoppage to the bout mere
moments from its conclusion. To this day, backers of MacDonald
claim that Condit was fortunate to emerge victorious. Even then,
MacDonald knew that luck had nothing to do with it.

“To tell you the truth, I didn’t know what was going on,” MacDonald
said after the loss. “I thought [it was] the end of the round until
they called the TKO, but it was a just stoppage. He was kicking my
ass.”

So what happened between then and now? After beating a man who has
struggled against all welterweights not named Matt Hughes in
recent years, what makes MacDonald so sure that he deserves another
shot at an opponent who gave St. Pierre his stiffest test in recent
memory?

MacDonald is a better, more confident fighter than he was in 2010,
and he is clearly coming into his own as a high-level contender in
the division. Part of that growth process involves personality.
While labeling someone a heel seems like it should be reserved for
the sports entertainment set, it applies to the world of mixed
martial arts. MacDonald seems to have fallen into this role by
default, but it has its advantages.

On the basis of his talents alone, MacDonald will remain beloved in
his home country. Acceptance could be hard to come by elsewhere,
particularly from those who were turned off by his display of
arrogance against Penn during the fight and his awkwardness after.
Neither, of course, is a concern to MacDonald himself.

Regardless of how you perceive him, MacDonald is right where he
needs to be. As MMA’s newest villain, he is simply too good to be
ignored.